FBI informants apprehended a male from Idaho after he reportedly planned to carry out a terrorist assault against around twenty-two Christian houses of worship in support of the Islamic state.
Despite his Christian parents’ desires, Alexander Scott Mercurio converted to Islam two years ago, and the FBI revealed that agents were pursuing him the entire time.
Just one day before he was supposed to carry out his assault that would have coincided with the conclusion of the month of Ramadan, Mercurio was apprehended on April 6.
According to John Taylor II, an FBI task force officer, Mercurio informed him that he intended to harm his father so that he could get weapons for the terrorist assault. Mercurio’s father kept Rifles, pistols, and ammo in a locked cabinet.
A statement from the FBI said that he intended to use knives, guns, and fire in an assault on churches on Sunday in Coeur d’Alene, a town located half an hour east of Spokane, Washington. Authorities claimed the assault occurred just before the holy month of Ramadan came to a close.
According to the prosecution, when schools were closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Mercurio converted to Islam.
According to what he texted to the informant, he lost interest in seeking martyrdom and now wanted to die so that his troubles would disappear rather than dying and fighting for Allah.
He said he needed chaos and violence to frighten people. According to a second message received on March 21, Mercurio expressed the need for better alternatives to knives. He stated his intention to attack every church, kill as many individuals as possible, set fire to the church, and then repeat the process.
A photo of Mercurio making a terroristic gesture while standing in front of an ISIS banner is one piece of evidence that the FBI has gathered. They succeeded in retrieving the same flag from his personal belongings.
A federal complaint accuses Mercurio of trying to provide resources or material assistance to a foreign terrorist group. Mercurio may spend up to twenty years behind bars if found guilty.
